Ten Common Physical Symptoms of Anxiety

When we face difficult or unfamiliar situations in life, whether meeting a partner’s parents for the first time or struggling to pay bills, each person’s body has natural anxiety reactions. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as some of those physical reactions to stress actually help prepare us to face these situations both mentally and physically; however, when these anxiety reactions become the norm and begin to hamper everyday life, it’s time to seek help.

Long-term physical and mental anxiety symptoms have been documented to increase insomnia, high blood pressure, depression, headaches, asthma symptoms, compromised immune systems, and a whole host of negative impacts. In addition, the presence of untreated anxiety in workers has been found to increase the incidence of workplace accidents.

Knowing the symptoms of an anxiety disorder can alert you to the fact you need help. Keep in mind, having occasional, intense reactions to stress probably doesn’t indicate an anxiety disorder. The rule of thumb is that the anxiety symptoms must recur for at least six months.

Use this checklist as a general guideline for understanding what you might be experiencing, but don’t stop there. Talk to your doctor about what’s happening so that a determination can be made as to whether an anxiety disorder may be causing your symptoms and then an appropriate treatment can be recommended.

1.       Excessive perspiration when your physical environment doesn't warrant it can be one of the ways your body signals anxiety.

2.      Rapid heartbeat occurring on a regular basis can be a warning sign your body is overstressed.

3.      Dizziness when accompanied by other anxiety symptoms may mean your body’s stress hormones are on overdrive.

4.      Nausea and other digestive upset can also be caused by stress hormones pumping through your body. Again, when it’s caused by an anxiety disorder, it recurs over time.

5.      Racing thoughts or recurring, unwanted thoughts can indicate an anxiety disorder if they become common occurrences.

6.       Difficulty breathing can come on suddenly in response to a perceived threat. This is one of the classic symptoms of an anxiety attack.

7.      Being fearful without apparent reason is a warning signal that your body is no longer handling stress well.

8.       Agitation or moodiness on a regular basis could be anxiety indicators.

9.       Insomnia that isn’t resolved by practicing better sleep habits is one of the most common ways an anxiety disorder is first recognized.

10.  Being unable to concentrate on daily tasks may mean that anxiety is becoming a problem.

Anxiety disorders can limit your ability to function well, and over time can contribute to other serious medical conditions. If you’ve been experiencing some of the symptoms above over a period of time without relief, it may be time to get professional help in relieving your anxiety.

NEUROFEEDBACK FOR ANXIETY

Panic Attack Symptoms Alleviated with Biofeedback

The physical symptoms of a panic attack are overwhelming. To suddenly experience symptoms such as hyperventilation, nausea, an intense feeling of approaching doom, rapid heart rate, chills, or dizziness in the midst of a non-threatening situation will send most people rushing to their medical care provider.

Armed with the latest research, that provider may very well suggest biofeedback training as one way of helping to alleviate those symptoms. Here’s a basic explanation of what happens when a panic attack strikes and how training the patient in EEG biofeedback exercises can relieve the duration and intensity of the symptoms.

Although the medical world once dismissed panic attack symptoms as the result of an emotional disorder, it is now known that panic attack episodes can happen to anyone, and the physical symptoms are real and devastating. To the person in the midst of a panic attack, immediate relief is imperative.  Learning to retrain brain waves through biofeedback can help provide that relief.

EEG biofeedback training, a process in use since the 1960s, involves retraining brain waves to normal activity via customized training exercises. It is completely non-invasive and allows the patient to avoid the possible long-term and immediate side effects of psychopharmaceuticals.

While the exact causes of panic attacks have not yet been pinpointed, individuals experiencing episodes will display abnormal brain wave activity when measured by an EEG (electroencephalogram). Learning how to retrain the brain as abnormal electrical activity between cells (brain waves) begins to occur, may be useful in preventing a full-blown panic attack.

How, exactly, would that training look? Summed up briefly, the doctor will perform preliminary testing to establish where in the brain the abnormal activity is occurring. Using that information, training exercises using visual or auditory stimuli will commence.

The patient who has suffered a panic attack might be shown an image on a computer screen, or be introduced to a sound, that indicates, during a series of exercises, normal brain waves have been achieved. The patient is actually learning methods of retraining their own brain waves back into normal rhythms.

Once that skill is gained, the prospect of another panic attack can be much less frightening, as the patient knows they have the tools to normalize their own brain activity. All this can be accomplished without medication or invasive procedures.

Experiencing the symptoms of a panic attack can drastically change a person’s outlook on life, but it doesn’t have to. That same person can experience significant relief from subsequent episodes when guided to the tools available to them through EEG biofeedback training.

NEUROFEEDBACK FOR PANIC ATTACKS AND ANXIETY